Fast National ratings for Tuesday, February 26, 2013.
A special Tuesday out-of-time-period premiere for “Golden Boy” improved on recent “Vegas” numbers and combined with the normal “NCIS” double-bill to help CBS cruise to its standard Tuesday wins in most measures.
A tiny bump for “New Girl” helped FOX claim victory among adults 18-34.
Among other notables, it was a solid premiere for “Celebrity Wife Swap” on ABC, while NBC’s “Smash” and The CW’s “Cult” both lost a few viewers and remained low-but-flat among young viewers.
For the night, CBS averaged a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49, far ahead of FOX and ABC’s 1.7 rating in the key demographic. NBC did a 1.1 key demo rating, far ahead of the 0.5 key demo rating for The CW.
Overall, CBS had an even wider margin-of-victory, averaging an estimated 15.92 million viewers and a 10.1 rating/16 share, beating ABC’s 5.805 million viewers and 3.8/6. FOX averaged 3.56 million viewers and a 2.3/3 for the night, compared to the 2.3/4 and 3.44 million viewers for NBC. The CW averaged a 0.8/1 and 1.15 million viewers for Tuesday.
8 p.m. – “NCIS” was off a little from last week, but still delivered Monday’s best numbers with 20.48 million viewers and a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS. There was a big drop to the 7 million viewers and 2.4 key demo rating for ABC’s “Celebrity Wife Swap” premiere. NBC’s “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” was third with 4.46 million viewers and fourth with a 1.3 key demo rating compared to the 3.38 million viewers and 1.5 key demo rating for two episodes of “Raising Hope” on FOX. The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” was up a hair with 1.42 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – “NCIS: Los Angeles” was up from last week with 16.81 million viewers and 2.9 rating among adults 18-49 for CBS in the 9 p.m. hour. ABC’s “The Taste” was second with 4.11 million viewers and third with a 1.4 key demo rating. FOX’s “New Girl” (4.285 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo) and “The Mindy Project” (3.19 million and a 1.6 key demo) finished third overall and second in the key demo. NBC was fourth with “Go On” (3.15 million and a 1.1 key demo) and “The New Normal” (2.615 million and a 1.0 key demo). The CW’s “Cult” averaged 877,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – With 10.46 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating, “Golden Boy” exceeded recent numbers for “Vegas,” but came in well below the September premiere for the Dennis Quaid drama. ABC’s “Body of Proof” was flat with last week’s premiere, drawing 6.31 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating. NBC’s “Smash” averaged 2.99 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.